Fujian Baroque

This tea was much smokier than I was expecting. The tea had a pleasant, nutty undertone, but it was overpowered by the smokey notes.

Firstly, this tea sounds like it’s trying to be fancy. It smells nicely like cocoa. The flavour is slightly malty, with mostly baked bread. When it cools, the bread comes out stronger.

I had been saving this tea for two reasons. One, because I know from experience that Fujians don’t really make good iced teas, so I was waiting for chilly weather. And two, because Fujian black teas are my absolute favorite, so I had the urge to hoard it.

The scent of the dry leaf makes me smile. It’s rich and chocolatey like cocoa nibs. I’m also smelling baked goods, like wheat bread or a croissant. As it steeps, the tea grows nice and dark, almost opaque. The wet leaves smell even more like bread.

The flavor is smooth and pleases me greatly. Exactly what I’ve come to love in a Fujian. Deeply satisfying and on the hearty side. A tad malty, but mostly wonderfully chocolate-like. It has lots of layers and notes mixed in harmoniously. I’m really not understanding why so many people here weren’t pleased with it! They must have been oversteeping or something.

I’ve been getting into Chinese black teas lately. They’re nice when I want something less bitter. Especially when I forget my cup and oversteep it; I can still drink it rather than throwing it away. This tea was fairly pleasant, slightly cocoa-ey and mild. More like something I’d drink in the afternoon than the morning.

I tried it with sugar as well, and found that I had to go very easy on it. The tea’s already sweet, so too much sugar and it becomes nauseating. No more than a half teaspoon.

It doesn’t really hold up well for a second steep. At least in my opinion anyway; the second steep was very light and bland. I could steep the Black Dragon Pearls three times and the Yunnan Jig twice, so the fact that this is only good for one was a bit disappointing. It’s a decent tea, but I’ll stick to other varieties with more staying power, especially if I’m paying $8 a bag for them.

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

Apparently the way that I am drinking my tea is so humorous… my boyfriend just walked downstairs and started cracking up in laughter XD Yes, my cup is tiny, but I think it is adorable! Thought I would attach a picture for so you guys can enjoy my adorable, little mug! (https://www.flickr.com/photos/125647446@N05/14340903979/ )I like doing TTB taste tests this way so I can try virtually all the teas without completely stealing a tea that someone else in the line up can hardly wait to enjoy. :] Ta-DAH~

This tea has a sweet malty flavor to it much like a golden monkey. I expected this tea to be a bit plainer in flavor than it actually is, but it has several notes. I love the malt the most, but it has a slight essence of cinnamon or pepper that is so unexpected it is delicious. Although it is a light black tea in flavor, I’m really enjoying it.

Is that a hint of chocolate I taste or am I imagining things? The tea is incredibly smooth. i’m sure it would make a delicious iced tea but it’s so balanced and as a hot tea that I don’t think I could do it!

I just noticed a huge bug on my ceiling so my post must now end…

Slight cocoa on the nose pre-steep. For me this started off smooth, then has a bit of a lingering aftertaste with a little bit of a bite to it. Not bad.

Revisiting this 5 months later, it has a nice nut like smell in the bag. It seems to be smoother this time with less astringency. The taste is kind of hard to describe, I guess I’d say it is somewhere in between the typical Yunnan and Keemun flavor profiles. Toasty/roasty, plus the nutty notes mentioned above. At its current decent price, this would be a good every day drinker. Great with sweetener and ice as well.

The flavor was not quite there, I suspect that I did not add enough leaves

This has a hint of musty earth tones. Not exactly unpleasant, but not something I would seek out in a tea.

It is a good heavy tea to fall back on when you want something more than, ‘a black tea’. However, I will not be order this again.

I’m really liking this one. The cocoa and fruity notes in it are strong. It has a long, pleasant, fruity aftertaste. I got this as a sample, but I may need to buy more of it. Prepared with stevia.